november rain turns to snow

another month of nonsence

the days are going fast with work and jugglin a 8 month old

sheesh 

i only read 8 .. mostly library books .. 

but i'm okay with it 

not the best month 

but... 

- anna and the french kiss
- ACOSF 
- going backwards 
- the ex hex
- isla and the happily ever after
- gilded cage
- lola and the boy next door
- where theres a whisk 

138 for the year, so far.
i'm over 100 so i'm happy 

Nov and Dec share a TBR pile 
but i've yet to touch it ... 

- witchshadow 
- 3 ARCs (via netgalley) 
- vespertine 
- crescent city 
- once upon a broken heart 
- curse so dark and lonely trilogy 

but we shall see ! 

my crocheting has taken over my motivation lately. i'm trying to do a bunch of things so i can open my etsy for it, and build up some stock. christmas is also next month so theres a few things i'll need to do for that ... plus some travel which sucks. 
work slows down mid december so that'll help. 
plus manfriend is going back to paternal leave for 3 months and 'm SO excited. 
i didn't get to NaNo this month, which was frustrating, but it's just not a priority... even though its nagging on my thoughts. 
taking it day by day these days. i'm alright with it ... hopefully the new year brings some new schedules and a boost in motivation. 

stay safe everyone! 

review: a court of silver flames

 A Court of Silver Flames

Sarah J Maas 

5/5 stars 

so, i ran away last weekend 

to get a bit of a mama-life break 

(just overnight, to my parents) 

and decided i was going to read and relax

so i grabbed the first big book i could find

which happened to be ACOSF. but, 

i didn't get a lot of reading - mom had my helping with a bunch of stuff instead - 

but i started it. and got hooked. 

Nesta's story continues from ACOWAR 

and we pick up with her in very self destructing behaviour 

which finally has Rhys and Feyre saying she cannot continue to be this reckless with their money (and the bad rep it gives the night court) 

so she has two options: train with Cassian, or leave. 

She doesn't want to leave, so training it is. but it takes a while for her to be willing to actually do anything. 

the rest of the book basically covers this. after training sessions, she has also been sentenced to help in the Library with all the priestess'. 

through Nesta's journey, she meets 2 ladies who also have been though hell... and are terrified of what lays next for them. With Nesta's help (and Cas and Az), theres a beautiful journey of female power and how to not let anything control you. You deserve the life you want to lead. 

The rest of the night court peeps pop in and out; Rhys and Feyre have a death sentence hanging over them, the Queens (from acowar) are planning on taking over the world - essentially - so there is some plot with them, Mor is barely around (i wonder if we get a book on her?) and Az is pretty quiet, like usual. 

this story's focus is Nesta though. Her journey as a survivor, a sister, a mate and a friend. 

^ that felt like a lot of rambling, but hey... it's hard to sum up 750 pages. 

plus a bonus scene of just Rhys and Feyre from their POV ... which i think was just a tease for the smut lovers. 

HOWEVER

i will die on the hill that Tamlin deserves better. even in this story. 

hopefully we get Elain's story next *glances over at lucien* 

for those who have read it, i hope you loved it as much as i did. 

for those who haven't yet ... whatcha waiting for?! 

a summary of summer

i dont know where the time has gone. 

i always feel old when i say things like that

but

then i look at the calander 

and it's the middle of Oct. 

so, y'know... *shrugs* 

June

- witches steeped in gold (half. skimmed) 

- five ways to fall out of love

- accidently engaged

- dragon republic / burning god 

- you may now kill the bride

- the wrong girl 

- with you all the way 

- happily ever afters 

- twice shy 

- saints & misfits 

- misfits in love 

- love in english 

- life's too short 

July

 rebel rose

the holidaze

the loop

melody

heart stone

from blood and ash

the roommate

ex-talk 

unfinished symphony

meet cute

music in the night 

August

prison healer

the accident season

date plan 

soulmate equation

steelcrow saga (skimmed most though) 

of princes and promises 

Freed

my sweet audrina

last change books

you say it first 

the marriage game 

isn't it bromantic 

September

spiderwick #1 (read to my nephew/neices)

lore 

kingdom of flesh and fire 

sage's eyes

the hobbit

simon and the homosapien agenda

it happened one summer

mom, the wolfman, and me

what once was mine

cheerleaders: first - third horror

the secret garden 

plus i'm 6 books into October so... 

i've some some decent reading

at 122 /100 for the year 

so i'm happy 

The rest of the year is basically mood reading 

no specific plans

i have a *ton* of library books 

waiting on order 

(and a few just waiting for them to be ready) 

and i even went on netgalley this morning and grabbed a few

though who knows if those will come in .. 

just taking it one day at a time right now 

 

i've gotten back into my crocheting which has been awesome. did a bunch of blankets for christmas gifts, and a few small projects for myself. i'd love to be able to do a market of some kind one day. 

i have so many things on my "one day" list ... which is annyoing. i've also been writing in my head but finding the energy to write it all done hasn't been easy. and social media has been sucky with IG nonsense so that's a bit disheartening ... though i do it for myself so i'm trying not to care ... *side glance* 

this parenting nonsense should come with a warning label haha he sleeps great, but hes more demanding when hes awake - and crawly so i can't even do something for myself because he just wants to crawl all over me or eat everything he finds. can't wait til he starts school.
(in 4 years. ugh)

plus, work has FINALLY picked up. so that's been fun trying to balance everything plus having 1.5-3 hrs on zoom every day. luckily i work with some great people who are understanding if i have to run because baby boy is crying (though every 2 weeks manfriend is home when i have to work so that's easier. yay for shift work... hes trying to apply for a new position in his work which would open up our weeks better. fingers crossed!) 

hoping the rest of the year goes smooth.  

and you are all staying safe

review: happily ever afters

i love stories about writers. 

and cheeky rom-com vibes 

they make my heart happy

and "happily ever afters" by elsie bryant is at the top of my list! 

We follow Tessa, who recently moved to a new area

and just starting a new prestigious school for the arts 

where she spends her time writing stories

and looking after her brother while her parents are working. 

Tessa's across the street neighbor, Sam, also goes to the fancy art school

but for culinary arts...

much to the teasing of the childhood classmates who have been there for a while now. 

Tessa is nervous when she starts out. luckily, an issue with her monthly friend provides her with a new best friend 

as the story progresses, her writing does not. 

with the help of her childhood best friend, they realize that Tessa's writing is at a stand-still because her life is. 

Write what you know, after all. 

so in order to continue with her romance story, she needs to experience a romance. 

in walks Nico. the IRL character from her story who is also in her writing classes. 

little does she know, the romance she's been looking for has been in her sights the whole time 

super cute YA love story! 

i love when the writing of a story is just real. 

nerdy references and delicious snacks ; what could be better? 

predictable in the sense of it's a love story. 

and i mean, its called "happily ever afters" 

but you still want to binge it in one sitting

... which i did :) 

5/5 stars ! 

May you always know where the library is

 well

another banger month 

i'm so happy i'm getting all this reading done 

19 for the month! 

 

- go the distance

- house of whispers

- forbidden secrets

- truthwitch

- blubber 

- breathless

- the poppy war

- the intimacy experiment 

- windwitch

- sightwitch

- the cheerleader

- bromance book club 

- undercover bromance

 - crazy stupid bromance 

- midnight sun 

- the colour purple 

- that was then, this is now

- facing the music & living to talk about it 

- writers and lovers 

DNF'd deadly education which made me sad. i really wanted to love it. 

and i'm half way through bloodwitch, which technically will fall under june finish

putting me at 65/100 for the year. 

small goal, but i think i can do it. 

and possibly surpass it *gasp* 

another month of library holds awaits me

plus my own tbr 

- a thousand pieces of you trilogy 

- a quiet kind of thunder 

- a court of silver flames 

- you may now kill the bride / wrong girl 

 - freed 

and whatever happens to come in from the library 

ACOSF is scaring me but i'm hopeful 

well. may is always an adventure. between my birthday (which manfriend did his best to make special in lockdown <3 ) and my first mothers day (which was even better than my birthday <3 ) and just beautiful weather ... this month was pretty darn amazing. we're making progress on the yard work and making the house more "ours" since the lady before us left a mess behind of things we don't want. i'm even getting manfriend to paint a bit this summer, muhaha.  mama life is still fun, kid sleeps like it's going outa style most days which i am so thankful for. plus, hes cute so yay.  work is still UBER slow which is superduper frustrating but means i get more time for hobbies so ... *shrugs* 

really trying to work on my insta' growing. usually i don't care about the numbers but they've been too low, even for me. so if you're reading this, and not following me there yet, please do *grins* 

i really want to get back into my writing. i pulled out a new fancy notebook (that i was going to get rid of but then i couldn't) and it's just been sitting there... might try and do July NaNo *fingers crossed* but we'll see how i feel 

pokemon snap was also very addictive this month and i had a blast with it. some of those photo challenges are HARD though. like, oy. 

there are also a few WIPs on my hook that i need to finish crocheting. 

and my cousin and i want to start doing "scrapbook nights" about once a month to motivate each other. that'd be nice since her and i dont get a lot of time together sans children. 

SO MANY THINGS! so little time. sigh. 

i'd also like to take up sewing. double sigh. 

man, oh, man. 

STAY SAFE ! <3 

- A 

a surprisingly productive april

 this month went by so quick

yet i got so much done 

so. much. reading! 

- gates of paradise 

- desolations of devils acre

- submissive trilogy 

- percy jackson series 

- april shadows 

- kiss quotient

- shiver trilogy 

- how the king of elfham learned to hate stories

- evil thing: cruella devil 

- dead to you

- honey-dont list

how did i read 19 books?! 

sheesh

keepin up this roll for may

fingers crossed. 

45 for the year so far

i think i want a goal of 100

keepin it small, like usual

just in case i jinx myself 

- truthwitch series 

- color purple

- blubber 

- midnight sun 

- fear street: the beginning trilogy

- breathless 

i have a few on hold at the library but 

they're on a looongg list of people 

before me

so who knows what will pop up 

life with a newborn means my days are pretty routine ... and it's not like we can go anywhere or do anything. life as a mom these days is tough, and very lonely. if work would pick up, i'd at least feel like im doing something productive but i have no control. and no means to get a second job right now so hmph.

i did a lot of work around the house this month as far as decory stuff. which makes it feel more like home. 

i also catalogued my 800+ books while baby napped and reorganized my bookshelves. no one else but me notices a difference but they look sooo much better now *grins* 

nothing else is new. the weather is nicer so trying to get out for family walks a couple times a week ... im so glad the winter is over. going to work on my garden in the next few weeks 

and maybe some painting *wiggles eyebrows* 

stay safe and smart out there everyone 

<3 

first bit of a new year..

 ... and a new chapter in my life. 

the last 3 months have been an absolute whirlwind! 
whew.
    

    lets break this down ; 

january  
kingdom hearts 
sailor moon eternal edition 10
tools of engagement 
the boy who steals houses
always and forever, lara jean
land of stories #6
blue bloods 1-3
shadow of kyoshi 

 february
winterkeep
blue bloods 4-5 
pendragon 1-8
iron fey 
umbrella lady

  march

blue bloods 6

pendragon 9-10 

obviously march was the worst month considering i gave birth... 

but with no goal set for the year, a decent start with 26      

april i decided to give myself an actual TBR and we'll see what happens 

- desolations of devils acre

- submissive trilogy 

- reread of percy jackson series 

- the kiss quotient 

- april shadows (for book group)

- wolves of mercy falls series 

depending how this kid sleeps, i'm hopeful :) 
(and i'm already done most of it since this post is late :p )

i may hit up the library for May's list 

well, the beginning of the year had promise to be decent for work. until they decided that they're going to tell me how i feel being pregnant/with a newborn and took me off a bunch of appointments. i'm not sure how to approach this with my boss - or to even bother considering i'm not the first one they've done this to - but we'll see how things go when i see/talk to her again... 

the baby boy is doing amazing. the last few months of pregnancy DRAGGED on but, i made it. and all healed up. emergency c sections suck btw. 

luckily he sleeps pretty darn well so i'm able to do things for myself most days. 

manfriend has been off this whole time too which has been amazing. if only he could take more time... sigh. 

the world is still crappy. our province is full of morons who make up stupid rules that no one wants to follow so our numbers are going in the wrong direction. 

this summer is going to be awful again. 

so is my birthday which i'm annoyed at but ... oh well. 

i've got some small house projects i wana work on (though i don't think theyre considered "essential" so who knows if i can get the supplies i need. hmph.) 

otherwise, life is pretty slow. 

same old, same old. 

i'd like to get back into my writing ... 

but it depends on how the lil man and i do on our own. 

i may be too tired lol 

but my wip is playing in my head and i'd like to work it out 

i also have some crocheting to do 

as my cousin is due with a boy also in june 

and i always give a personal gift 

... and i have lots of hand-me-downs already 

hello covid baby boom ;) 

stay safe everyone 

- A 

in the words of n*sync, bye bye bye 2020

who'd have predicted the world would go topsy-turvey this year? 

while it sucked in many ways, it had it's moments ... 

December's reading wasn't horrible... 

- virgin suicides 

- unlocked 

- land of stories: an authors odyssey 

- sailor moon EE 9 

- night after night  (ebook)

- christmas quickie (ebook) 

- bone criers moon 

 

i attempted queen of volts but i was so lost, so i gave up til i can buy the trilogy and do a reread * shrugs * 

which puts me at 171/200 for the year 

(i had to redo the math because i checked off a book i know i didnt read...) 

overall, 

i'm not complaining :) 

unsure how january is going to go with work... 

but i'm going to attempt  

- kingdom hearts 

- land of stories: worlds collide 

- the boy who steals houses  

- the shadow of kyoshi 

- the desolation of devils acre

- winterkeep 

- sailor moon EE 10 

not setting a goal for 2021 

because i'll just be disappointed if i don't reach it

but if i can get a decent handful read for jan and feb 

ill be happy 

while i'm thankful this year is over, it was still one for the books in terms of life news. 

new baby, new house, said goodbye to my grandpa ... very rollercoastery year. 

but, life goes on. nothing you can do about it. 

the new year is going to be filled with prepping for baby 

and whatever work i manage to pick up 

(ps. self employment can really suck) 

i also wana squeeze in as much reading as i can before march 

because who knows what the year will look like after that 

Happy new year lovelies!